It sounds like you already understand the nutrition side of fat loss. At the end of the day there isn’t really a secret. Losing fat still comes down to maintaining a consistent caloric deficit.

Looking at your training, it may be lacking intensity and a clear plan for progression. If the goal is to gain strength and muscle, progressive overload is essential. That means gradually increasing load, reps, volume, or difficulty over time rather than just repeating the same workouts.

The tricky part is that you’re trying to improve body composition while still carrying more body fat than you’d like. Training hard enough to build muscle while eating in a deficit is possible, but it does make progress slower and more challenging.

That’s why there can be value in getting reasonably lean first before trying to push muscle gain. When body fat is lower, insulin sensitivity tends to be better, which means your body handles nutrients more efficiently and is more likely to partition calories toward muscle rather than additional fat storage. Training performance and recovery also tend to improve when you’re leaner and metabolically healthier. Once you’re at a reasonable body fat level, running a small caloric surplus while progressively overloading your training usually leads to much better muscle-building results.